Relief images are well-known and have been made of clay, wood, plastic and other materials. A typical relief image is either cast or carved, and, if it includes a variety of colors, they usually are painted on by hand. One way to make an attractive relief image is to run a relatively thin plastic material through a printing device to create a high quality printed image and then to vacuum form the material to give relief to the image. However, in order to run the material through a printer, it must be relatively thin. This results in a fairly lightweight, flexible product, which does not have the same aesthetic appeal as a more solid cast or carved image. As shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,023, which is hereby incorporated by reference, one way to protect the flexible image from being damaged is to provide a cover and a raised frame around the image. However, since the image is on a lightweight, flexible sheet, it can easily flex, and it does not have the same effect as a solid or cast piece. Similarly, as one picks up the image, the relative lack of weight gives away the fact that this is not a solid or cast piece. The more rigid the relief image is and the heavier it feels, the more it resembles a cast, carved, or solid piece, and the higher its perceived quality and value by the end user.
The present invention provides a plaque, wall hanging, or other decoration in which the hollow side of a thin, printed and formed member is filled with a filler, which hardens, thereby imparting structural strength. The filler may fill the hollow side of the member by any number of means, including casting, pouring, or injection molding. In the preferred embodiment, the filler is poured into the hollow side of the formed member. As the filler solidifies, the thin, printed and formed member preferably bonds with the filler to make a solid three-dimensional piece. This piece may be mounted to a frame, such a solid wooden frame, a frame may be part of the piece itself, or the piece may be unframed. The result is a heavy duty, attractive decoration having a raised, printed image. The decoration may be further personalized by attaching an engraved, brass tag or a label, or by other known means.